gadgetloop.com » Android

Acer A1 – Acer’s First Android Smartphone Will Debut in September

Arnold Aranez — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:04:32 +0000

Looks like HTC will finally get some competition in the Google Android arena. Acer has thrown in it’s hat, announcing that it too will have it’s own Android phone by as soon as Fall / September this year.

Very little is known about the Acer A1, except that it’ll have a touchscreen. Not really much to rejoice about.

Given Acer’s ability to adapt and succeed in new markets such as the netbook space, I have an inkling that Acer may just be a force to watch out for as it sets its sights on smartphones. Will Acer pleasantly surprise us? Time will tell.

It seems that this toe-dipping exercise may be the start of something bigger with company president, Gianfranco Lanci predicting that smartphones may be responsible for up to 10% of Acer’s revenue in the future.

Via Brighthand

The Five Smartphone Platforms Compared

Julian Tan — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:20:46 +0000

Baffled by the difference between the Blackberry and the iPhone? What about the Android vs Palm’s WebOS? Here’s a great chart by Gizmodo, explaining the differences between the major smartphone platforms.

Most smartphone platforms support touchscreens and/or keyboards, and let you browse the internet, run apps, view photos and play games/music/movies. And while they may act the same on a fundamental level, not all smartphones are created equal. Here’s where they match up, and where they don’t:

It’s fortunate that the iPhone OS 3.0 has been announced – if not for that, most of the fields is the iPhone column would be a big, ugly, red NO.

via Gizmodo.

As iPhone 3.0 Draws Near, Rumours Abound

Julian Tan — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:08:15 +0000

Apple has announced a sneak peek at the iPhone 3.0 software at an event scheduled for 10 a.m. March 17. With less than a day to go, the rumour mill is working overtime, predicitng features that every iPhone fan is secretly wishing in his/her heart, such as copy and paste, video recording and more.

The biggest rumours have been generated by Digg founder Kevin Rose, who is sticking his neck out and claiming the following:

Cut and paste by double tapping a word, then pinching to choose the highlighted text (which is apparently indicated by a set of quote marks), and choosoing from a button: cut, copy or paste.
Applications will still be unable to run as a background process
No video recording for this release
All the features that the Palm Pre will have

The last statement is quite vague, but alludes to a move by Apple to head off their competitor even before the product hits the market.

Kevin Rose’s track record in predictions aside, there is also speculation that Apple will be releasing a new iPhone model. Apple has been consistent with its device refreshes, launching the original iPhone in June 2007 and the iPhone 3G in 2008. An Apple rumours site, MacRumours, is even suggesting holding off on iPhone purchases as a new model is imminent.

Personally, I think that with new devices such as the Palm Pre and the next generation of Android phones emerging, the smartphone market is nearing in a “perfect storm” situation. Exciting times indeed for gadget-o-philes!

via Gizmodo.